BUSCH: Casey Mears ready to start rookie season at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Nov. 30, 2001) -- When Casey Mears arrives at
Daytona International Speedway for Speedweeks 2002, it won't be for a
test.
Last year, Mears, the son of off-road racer Roger Mears and nephew of
four-time Indianapolis 500 ...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla., (Nov. 30, 2001) -- When Casey Mears arrives at
Daytona International Speedway for Speedweeks 2002, it won't be for a
test.

Last year, Mears, the son of off-road racer Roger Mears and nephew of
four-time Indianapolis 500 champion Rick Mears, made his first trip to
the "World Center of Racing," testing a Ford Riley & Scott Mk III with
Dyson Racing in preparation for the Rolex 24 At Daytona.

"I tested for Dyson Racing and it looked like I was going to end up
running for them in the Rolex 24, but they picked another guy that had
driven with them before," Mears said. "I got a chance to test there all
day and that's the only time I've been to Daytona. It's an impressive
place and a lot of fun."

This year, Mears will be driving a stock car at Daytona when he kicks
off his rookie Busch Series season in the Feb. 16 EAS/GNC Live Well 300,
a prelude to the 44th annual Daytona 500, the Super Bowl of stock car
racing.

The 23-year-old Mears, a native of Bakersfield, Calif., will be driving
the No. 66 entry for Welliver-Jessel Motorsports and will be vying for
Raybestos Rookie of the Year honors. His teammate will be Hank Parker
Jr., driver of the No. 36 GNC Live Well Chevrolet.

Mears began getting some experience in stock cars toward the end of
this year, competing in an ARCA race in October at Talladega
Superspeedway and posting a ninth-place finish. He made his debut in the
Busch Series in November, starting 21st and finishing 28th in the
season-ending GNC Live Well 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Now, Mears
feels he's ready to tackle the "World Center of Racing" for the first
time in a stock car.

"Daytona is one of the most famous tracks in the world," said Mears,
who has a strong open-wheel background, competing in Indy Lights, CART
and the Indy Racing League. "I'm really looking forward to it. That's
definitely the big place for NASCAR. It's going to be a first for me.
It's going to be a whole new experience. I'm sure I'll be leaning on a
lot of the key guys for information about the track. It's going to be
exciting."

Tickets for the EAS/GNC Live Well 30 and other Speedweeks events can be
purchased online at http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com or by
calling the Speedway ticket office at (386) 253-7223.